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Where's Wally? He's trekking across the Sahara...

Alex Baines A man smiling and pointing at the camera with a desert in the background. He is wearing black sunglasses, a red and white striped T-shirt with the words "Where's Wally?" on and a red and white striped bobble hat.Alex Baines
Alex Baines spent five days trekking across the Sahara desert dressed as Wally, from the Where's Wally? children's books

An adventurer has trekked 100km (62 miles) across the Sahara desert dressed in the distinctive red-and-white stripes of a famous children's book character.

Alex Baines took on the five-day challenge dressed in the striped bobble hat and top of Wally from the Where's Wally? puzzle books.

The 27-year-old technical engineer from Earls Colne, Essex, even missed the US Presidential election on his trek, but said it was "quite refreshing" to be switched off from the outside world.

He was inspired to make the trip to Morocco in aid of Cancer Research UK by his grandmother, who died from pancreatic cancer in 2007, and a friend who was diagnosed with cancer.

Alex Baines A group of people trekking across a sand dune in the Sahara desert.Alex Baines
Mr Baines was joined by a group of strangers who were raising money for different charities

He shared the experience with a group of strangers, a chef, a medic, and local guides, and did not see or contact anyone else until the last day of the trek.

"It was quite a powerful adventure because everyone had their own emotional stories to tell and their own battles… with additional challenges like the extreme temperature," he said after returning home.

"Even the news about Donald Trump [winning the election], we only found out a few days later."

'No blisters at all'

In preparation for his trip, Mr Baines spent weekends walking up to eight hours at a time across Essex and Suffolk.

"My training must have paid off because every day of training I'd come back with blisters, but my feet were fine after this trek - I didn't get any blisters at all."

It was not the first time Mr Baines had dressed as the much-loved character from the books by Martin Handford.

He ran the 2023 London Marathon dressed as Wally, and said he enjoyed being spotted in the crowds of runners by children who recognised the character.

Mr Baines said he had dressed up for other events, including the Three Peaks Challenge, this year and had so far raised more than £1,000 for Cancer Research UK.

The sand has now been washed out of his T-shirt and bobble hat while he decides where his next adventure will take him.

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